Promises
by Highly Functional Insomniac
Summary: On May 22nd he made a promise. On September 1st that promise would be called into question. How will the Italys manage in a world where wits and weapons win wars? A semi-historical account of WWII. Rating and pairings vary. Human & country names used.


Current Chapter Rating: T+? M? (for Romano's mouth)

Highest Rating: T-M (for Romano's mouth)

Disclaimer (applies to this and every subsequent chapter): I don't own anything. Apologies for factual errors.

_This story will have random Italian for emphasis, but it's all pretty straight forward. Any historical notes will be added at the end. Also, as always my chapters are short. Please be patient. Enjoy and review!_

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_September 2, 1939_**  
**

Rome. "The Eternal City". The former hub of the greatest military force in the world and still the site of one of the largest collections of cultural innovations known to modern man. Rome. Roma. Backwards "amor". But today the city feels little love at all. In a large villa on the outskirts of town the tension shatters.

"Ve! Fratello, basta! Please calm down!"

"Calm do- How the _fuck_ am I supposed to calm down?" The owner of the first voice visibly flinched as the second showed no signs of calming. "Do you know what this is?"

"Um…a newspaper?"

"Guarda!" He held the crumpled paper closer to his brother's face.

"Romano I—."

"Leggi, Veneziano!" Romano hollered as he backed his brother towards the far wall.

_I Nazi in Polonia: Centinaia Morte nel Blitz_

"But, he…" Veneziano's back finally came into contact with the cold stone and his knees began to shake.

"And do you know what this is?" The elder shook a piece of parchment in his hand.

"Uh, an official, _hic_, document?"

"Well shit, maybe you do have a brain. To be just a little more specific, this," he waved the parchment dangerously close his brother's face. "This is a notice from the League of Nations that your damn potato bastard just invaded, no, not invaded, beat the shit out of Poland."

Veneziano's face drained of what little color remained.

"But Fratello, Germany wou-," Romano interrupted again.

"Well he obviously did because this," he pulled out another document from a folder on a desk. "And this is the goddamned pezzo di merda pact _you_ signed saying we would _help_ the Germans in war situations!"

By this point Romano simply couldn't continue shouting. His shoulders trembled as he stood before his equally shaken brother. The two stood in silence for a moment as one's eyes welled with tears of rage, and the other's with those of grief.

"But why?" Veneziano finally choked.

"Because he is a manipulative bastard!"

"You just don't like him!" The northern Italian's voice was gaining volume but the hesitation was apparent.

"Stop defending him! Don't you think it's weird that not three months after _Il Patto_ was signed, Poland gets bombed?" Romano spit.

"But he promised…" Any conviction Feliciano managed to garner was rapidly dwindling.

"Yeah, Yeah. It was a pact to solidify our countries' friendship. Puh._ Pact of Steel_ my ass. Should have left it _Il Patto di Sangre_. That what this is going to lead to. Blood. This damn friendship of yours is going to be a fucking bloodbath. Mussolini knew it. He's going to drive us further into hell. Hitler damn well knew it. He _wants_ the world in hell. And you can bet your precious Germany knew it."

"Ludwig promised to protect us! We swore! He promised to protect me! He swore!" With that his knees gave way and he sank to the hard, wood floor.

"Well buongiorno, Fratellino. The world doesn't run on pinky promises."

* * *

**_Notes & Translation_**

_Fratello – brother_

_Basta – enough_

_Guarda – look!_

_Leggi – read!_

_I Nazi… - The Nazis in Poland: Hundreds Dead in the Blitz_

_Pezzo di merda – piece of shit_

_Il Patto di Sangre – Pact of Blood_*

_Buongiorno - good morning  
_

_Fratellino - little brother_

_*When the Pact of Steel was first being written up it was to be called the Pact of Blood. But Mussolini didn't take over Italy by being a fool. He knew the country wouldn't rally behind something that sounded so crass. Italians don't care much for brutality. IMO._

_Interesting tidbit: the pact is formally known as the "Pact of Friendship and Alliance between Germany and Italy"._

_AN: In typical HFI fashion I have started another project. I need to have a thousand things going at once. That way if I get bored or frustrated with one thing, I can go on to another! Please review!_


End file.
